Originating in the United States, PGA Junior League Golf brings the “little league” mentality to the sport of golf by introducing a team environment for juniors.

The PGA Jr. League starts with a golf professional fielding a junior team of either boys or girls under the age of 13 to participate in friendly competitions against other clubs in the area. Each team participates in three regular season competitions and takes a turn hosting visiting teams.

The Junior League competitions use the team scramble format to accommodate players of all skill levels and to reinforce participation – the main goal of the initiative. Following each match, all teams are provided with a complimentary lunch and a review of the day’s results. All the information is also made available through the website, which provides detailed standings leading up to regional and national championships.

Jeff Overholt, a PGA of Canada professional who piloted PGA Jr. League in 2013, shares his enthusiasm for what the program has to offer.

“The PGA Jr. League program allows participants to experience the ups and downs of competitive golf with the support of 7 – 10 other team members,” explained Overholt. “The players absolutely loved the team play as it made them feel like they belonged to something bigger and allowed for players of all skill levels to be a part of the team”.

Overholt, along with two other PGA of Canada professionals, hosted visiting teams during a four week period last September. The following leaders in junior golf experienced immediate success with recruiting players for their teams.

Laird White – National Golf Club,Woodbridge, Ont.

David Fritz – St. Andrew’s Valley & Westview Golf Course,Aurora, Ont.

Jeff Overholt – Golf Performance Coaches at Carrying Place Golf Course, Kettleby, Ont.

“It’s a perfect introduction to competitive golf for juniors,” said Overholt. “More skilled players were paired with beginners to ensure all players were able to experience success in their matches.”

PGA Jr. League Golf launched as a pilot program in the United States in 2011 with participating teams from four different states. Since then, they have partnered with the PGA of America to bring the program to nearly 9,000 participants in 2013.

Find a Junior League in your area by visiting the website.

Originating in the United States, PGA Junior League Golf brings the “little league” mentality to the sport of golf by introducing a team environment for juniors.

The PGA Jr. League starts with a golf professional fielding a junior team of either boys or girls under the age of 13 to participate in friendly competitions against other clubs in the area. Each team participates in three regular season competitions and takes a turn hosting visiting teams.

The Junior League competitions use the team scramble format to accommodate players of all skill levels and to reinforce participation – the main goal of the initiative. Following each match, all teams are provided with a complimentary lunch and a review of the day’s results. All the information is also made available through the website, which provides detailed standings leading up to regional and national championships.

Jeff Overholt, a PGA of Canada professional who piloted PGA Jr. League in 2013, shares his enthusiasm for what the program has to offer.

“The PGA Jr. League program allows participants to experience the ups and downs of competitive golf with the support of 7 – 10 other team members,” explained Overholt. “The players absolutely loved the team play as it made them feel like they belonged to something bigger and allowed for players of all skill levels to be a part of the team”.

Overholt, along with two other PGA of Canada professionals, hosted visiting teams during a four week period last September. The following leaders in junior golf experienced immediate success with recruiting players for their teams.

Laird White – National Golf Club,Woodbridge, Ont.

David Fritz – St. Andrew’s Valley & Westview Golf Course,Aurora, Ont.

Jeff Overholt – Golf Performance Coaches at Carrying Place Golf Course, Kettleby, Ont.

“It’s a perfect introduction to competitive golf for juniors,” said Overholt. “More skilled players were paired with beginners to ensure all players were able to experience success in their matches.”

PGA Jr. League Golf launched as a pilot program in the United States in 2011 with participating teams from four different states. Since then, they have partnered with the PGA of America to bring the program to nearly 9,000 participants in 2013.

Find a Junior League in your area by visiting the website.

NANJING, China – Canada’s duo of Maddie Szeryk and Tony Gil have placed 16^th in the mixed team event at the Summer Youth Olympics at the Zhongshan International Golf Club.

Gil, a 16-year-old Vaughan, Ont. native, had five birdies and five bogeys for an eventful final round in Nanjing. The Team Canada Development Squad member finished with an even par 72.

Szeryk, a dual-citizen of Canada and the U.S., came out firing with two early birdies on the opening holes but struggled after that, posting three consecutive bogeys. The soon-to-be Texas A&M freshman finished with a 2-over 74.

Together, the Canadian duo finished at 1-over par after three rounds of mixed team play. They opened with a 3-under 69 in better ball format, followed by a 2-over 74 in foursomes (alternate shot) and then a 2-over 146 (72-74) in combined score.

Team Coach, Robert Ratcliffe, is pleased overall with their results and the event.

“It was a very strong event, with a very strong field,” said Ratcliffe, also Team Canada’s Lead Development Squad coach. “We will be going back to the drawing board after this to see where we can improve.”

Team Sweden ended up winning the gold, posting an impressive 16-under (65-67-140) for the tournament. The Swedes were represented by Marcus Kinhult, the no.6 ranked male amateur in the world and Linnea Strom, the no. 8 ranked female amateur – a tough squad to catch. Korea ended up winning the silver, and Italy took home the bronze.

The individual male and female competitions that took place earlier in the Youth Olympics saw Szeryk place T15 and Gil T22.

Click here for scoring

With the Canadian golf season in its prime, we’ve witnessed many local, club, provincial and even national championships being contested. Our members, member clubs, volunteers and staff have been involved in various capacities at various levels in an effort to administer and conduct these competitions.

While many of these competitions have been conducted in good order, without disputes or worse, a story materialized recently involving two golfers playing what should have been a friendly, recreational game of golf. While the full article can be found here, two grown men managed to get into a verbal and then an eventual physical altercation during their game, reportedly incited by a disagreement over the Rules of Golf.

There’s no questioning the complexity and thoroughness of the Rules of Golf and their associated Decisions, however the Rules of Golf could have been employed by these ‘gentlemen’, regardless of their understanding or ignorance of the rules themselves. Further, they could have avoided having charges against them and a short stay in the hospital through a an understanding of Rule 2-5, which concerns Match Play, and is ironically referenced as “Doubt As To Procedure; Disputes and Claims”.

Rule 2-5: Doubt As To Procedure; Disputes and Claims, states the following:

In match play, if a doubt or dispute arises between the players, a player may make a claim. If no duly authorized representative of the Committee is available within a reasonable time, the players must continue the match without delay. The Committee may consider a claim only if it has been made in a timely manner and if the player making the claim has notified his opponent at the time (i) that he is making a claim or wants a ruling and (ii) of the facts upon which the claim or ruling is to be based.

A claim is considered to have been made in a timely manner if, upon discovery of circumstances giving rise to a claim, the player makes his claim (i) before any player in the match plays from the next teeing ground, or (ii) in the case of the last hole of the match, before all players in the match leave the putting green, or (iii) when the circumstances giving rise to the claim are discovered after all the players in the match have left the putting green of the final hole, before the result of the match has been officially announced.

A claim relating to a prior hole in the match may only be considered by the Committee if it is based on facts previously unknown to the player making the claim and he had been given wrong information Rules 6-2a or 9) by an opponent. Such a claim must be made in a timely manner.

Once the result of the match has been officially announced, a claim may not be considered by the Committee, unless it is satisfied that (i) the claim is based on facts which were previously unknown to the player making the claim at the time the result was officially announced, (ii) the player making the claim had been given wrong information by an opponent and (iii) the opponent knew he was giving wrong information. There is no time limit on considering such a claim.

While Rule 2-5 makes multiple references to ‘the Committee’, the Committee is generally referred to as, the committee in charge of the competition or, if the matter does not arise in a competition, the committee in charge of the course – this could be a local volunteer, convenor or your PGA of Canada Professional.

While also providing an expedited manner in which to handle a dispute during a match, Rule 2-5 would have also helped the two aforementioned gentlemen avoid the altercation they found themselves in… Hopefully, with an understanding of Rule 2-5, you’ll be able to reconcile any disputes, make valid claims and enjoy your next match without involving the local authorities, perhaps just your committee.

For more information on the Rules of Golf, please click here.

For more information on how to proceed in various Rules of Golf situations, guidance on the Golf Canada Handicap System and more, please consult our Rules of Golf publications – for purchase in Golf Canada’s eStore, or at your local book retailer.

LONDON, Ont. – For every Tiger Woods, there’s a Michelle Wie, a Lexi Thompson and a Lydia Ko. Much-hyped teenage stars are all over women’s golf.

Thompson won a major championship at the age of 19, and Ko was 15 and 16 when she won the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open in 2012 and 2013. Canada has a phenom of its own in Brooke Henderson, the 16-year-old from Smiths Falls, Ont., who recently finished second at the U.S. Amateur Championship.

Explaining why women find the spotlight in golf so much younger than men has a lot do with body mechanics and a little to do with advances in teaching and technology that have been refined over time.

“The simple fact is that girls develop earlier than boys,” Golf Canada’s women’s amateur coach Tristan Mullally said. “They reach their peak height faster, they develop in terms of their end body type faster.

“By the time they’re 15, 16, 17, they’re not going to change as much as a boy will, so they have an opportunity to be a little bit more consistent and to maybe reach some of those things earlier.”

Mullally added that a lot of teenage boys can’t keep up with full-grown men on the PGA Tour because it’s hard to drive the ball 300-plus yards consistently. Canadians Mike Weir, Graham DeLaet and David Hearn are in the majority of men who have taken longer to find their games.

Weir won the 2003 Masters at 32, while the 32-year-old DeLaet is only now enjoying his prime. Hearn took until just before his 34th birthday before he made the cut at a major tournament.

Younger women can match older peers easier, in part because they play on shorter courses.

“If you can hit out there 240, 250 (yards), you can really compete at a young age,” Mullally said.

But the physics of women developing earlier than men is no new phenomenon. What’s different is how girls with any golfing potential get extra attention to help refine those skills.

“They’re more prepared to play professional golf than I was when I came out,” said 36-year-old Cristie Kerr, who has two majors among her 16 career LPGA Tour victories. “I just had my dad. They have their swing coaches, their mental coaches, their trainers, everything. They have sponsorships when they come out and we didn’t. It’s a lot different world for them.”

As a member of Golf Canada’s national team, Henderson has two coaches in Mullally and Ann Carroll, a fitness trainer, a physiotherapist, a nutritionist and a psychologist.

“It’s an amazing support system,” Henderson said. “I think the stronger your support system, you don’t have to focus on things outside of golf. You can just focus on your golf game itself.”

When Karrie Webb was getting into golf, her first clubs were an adult set cut down to fit in her hands. Webb, 39, went on to win seven majors on the LPGA Tour.

The first of those didn’t come until the age of 24, and Webb sees the future faces of the sport and knows they’re much more ready to compete at 16 or 17 than she was.

The average age of 2014 major champions on the LPGA Tour is 25, compared to 28.5 on the PGA Tour. Beyond just those winners, the average LPGA rookie age is 23.6 and the average PGA rookie is 28.8.

“I always joke around like, ‘Is it 12?’ Because I’m way past 12,” said American Danielle Kang, who at 21 wasn’t close to being one of the oldest players at last week’s Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.

“I think the guys our age are still very, very talented, it’s just there’s more competition that are in their 30s to 40s for men,” Kang said. “I mean, they’re still shooting 10-under par. But I think this game is growing, so there are much younger players that are coming up faster.”

Wie had a big role in sparking this trend, qualifying for the U.S. Amateur at the age of 10 and becoming the youngest player to make an LPGA cut at 13. She validated a lot of the hype by winning the U.S. Open this year at 24 and is currently ranked fifth in the world.

Even if Wie took some time to go from prodigy to major champion, her success story is an attractive one for young female golfers.

“You can see it on TV, it’s become almost a celebrity to be an athlete now, where maybe in the past it wasn’t like that,” Mullally said. “There’s definitely a bigger interest in the amount of players who see that as being a goal for their career has definitely increased.”

While LPGA purses are well below those on the men’s tour, there’s still plenty of money to be won. So Yeon Ryu earned more than US$300,000 for winning the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open on Sunday, and 20-year-old rookie Jaye Marie Green – 100th on the LPGA Tour money list – has made $62,346 so far this year.

Before making a living on tour, most women have successful amateur careers. Five-time major winner Inbee Park said the expansion of quality junior and amateur tournaments has helped speed up the learning curve.

Of course not every teenage golf star finds success like Wie, Thompson and Ko. Park, who was on the LPGA Tour at the age of 18, said the key is for young players not to lose interest in what they’re doing.

Four-time LPGA Tour winner Lorie Kane is trying to help the next generation of Canadian golfers not just keep interest but blossom into stars. The Charlottetown native’s advice to Henderson – “Don’t read your own press” – goes for others, as well.

“I think it’s just stay out of their own way, and that comes from encouragement from the adults in their lives and not to make a big deal out of what they’re doing,” Kane said.

PARAMUS, N.J. – Tiger Woods is leaving swing coach Sean Foley after four years and no majors.

Woods said on his website Monday he will no longer work with Foley, the Canadian whom he hired when his game was at its low point following the upheaval with his marriage. The announcement came one day after another Foley pupil, Hunter Mahan, won The Barclays.

“I’d like to thank Sean for his help as my coach and for his friendship,” Woods said. “Sean is one of the outstanding coaches in golf today, and I know he will continue to be successful with the players working with him.”

Woods has been coping with back problems for more than a year. He had surgery March 31 to alleviate a pinched nerve, forcing him to miss two majors during his three months of recovery. He missed two cuts, withdrew from another tournament and had his worst 72-hole finish in a major after returning.

He is taking three months off in a bid to regain his full strength, and said this would be the right time to dismiss Foley. Woods is not scheduled to play again until his World Challenge in Orlando, Florida, the first week in December.

He does not have a coach and said there was no timetable to hire one.

“My time spent with Tiger is one of the highlights of my career so far, and I am appreciative of the many experiences we shared together,” Foley said in a statement posted on Woods’ website.

Foley was the third coach Woods hired as a professional.

Woods began working with Butch Harmon as a teenager, and they changed his swing twice. The biggest overhaul was after Woods won the Masters by 12 shots. Many believe the new swing produced Woods’ most dominant golf, though he also was in his early 20s and had not had serious issues with his knee. Woods won eight majors while with Harmon, including seven in 11 attempts and an unprecedented sweep of them in 2000-01. They parted in 2003.

Woods went to Hank Haney and produced another memorable stretch with an entirely different swing. In a two-year period covering 34 tournaments, Woods won 18 times (including four majors) and was runner-up six times. That ended with the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, right before his fourth and most invasive knee surgery.

That was his 14th major, and Woods has not won another since. He remains four short of the record held by Jack Nicklaus.

Haney announced in May he was leaving Woods, although those close to Woods felt a split was imminent. Woods went through most of 2010 without a coach until hooking up with Foley for the first time at the PGA Championship in 2010 at Whistling Straits.

Woods won three times on the PGA Tour in 2012, and then delivered a five-win season in 2013 when he returned to No. 1. But he rarely challenged in the majors, some of that because of injury.

He missed two majors in 2011 while letting leg injuries fully heal. Woods had a share of the 36-hole lead in the U.S. Open and PGA Championship in 2012, but he was not a factor on Sunday. He was two shots off the lead going into the final round of the 2013 British Open and fell back quickly.

He missed two more majors this year because of injury.

Foley, who first worked with Stephen Ames, has Mahan and former U.S. Open champion Justin Rose among his clients.

“It was a lifelong ambition of mine to teach the best player of all time in our sport,” Foley said. “I am both grateful for the things we had the opportunity to learn from one another, as well as the enduring friendship we have built. I have nothing but respect and admiration for him.”

LONDON, Ont. – While those close to Jennifer Ha are well aware of her talents and potential on the golf course, the 20-year-old amateur brought it to the attention of a much larger audience this weekend at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.

With a world-class 156 player field – including 15 of this country’s finest golfers – competing at the London Hunt and Country Club, Ha impressed golf fans in attendance and those watching across the country by being one of the four Canadians to make the cut.

According to her Kent State head coach, Greg Robertson, it was her display of determination and mental toughness that was most impressive.

“What sticks out in my mind was that she had a double bogey on the first hole of the tournament, and then played the next 17 holes 2-under,” he said about the talented amateur from Calgary.

“And coming down the stretch in the second round, she was right on the cutline at 1-under and birdied the last two holes to make the cut by a couple of shots. I was very impressed by the way she handled those situations, added Robertson, who caddied for Ha over the weekend.

Ha’s head coach from the Canadian national team, Tristan Mullally, was also impressed by her strong showing against the LPGA Tour’s finest.

“This week Jennifer had 18 birdies and proved that she has that ability to compete with the best,” said Mullally.

“She also had quite a few mistakes,” he acknowledged of Ha’s 16 bogeys and 1 double bogey. “But if all you have to do is tidy up some mistakes and make a couple of small adjustments, those are easy things to take care of.

“Golf Canada and Kent state we’ve worked well together and we work for the best thing for Jennifer,” Mullally noted about the importance of both programs to Ha’s development. “She works really hard and takes input really well; and we are fortunate to have a player like her who does that.

“She’s got a really bright future; she’s just got to push on and work hard and continue to improve,”Mullally added about the young golfer.

When asked about her impressive showing at the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open, Ha credits the recent success of her teammates, Taylor Pendrith and Corey Conners, for inspiring her to step up her game.

“We all go to Kent State and we’re all on Team Canada; so Taylor and Corey are like brothers to me,” she noted with a smile.

“Seeing them play so well, it made me feel proud and more confident in my abilities; and it has motivated me to do better,” Ha added.

Ha also credits the support and resources provided through Golf Canada and the Kent State golf program for allowing her to develop her potential on the golf course; and putting her on the right path to success.

Greg Robertson, Jennifer Ha, Tristan Mullally (David Li)

Looking towards the future, the Kent State senior has ambitions of competing full-time on the LPGA tour.

“I’m 20 years old and I’m about to graduate, so I’m definitely thinking about going to Q-school next year or the year after; and try to be back here as a professional,” said Ha after her final round of the Canadian Pacific Women’s Open.

However, the talented young amateur understands there is still a lot of hard work required to realize her goal.

“I think ball striking is the best part of my game and I love working on it,” Ha pointed out. “Definitely, think I need to work more on my putting and on the mental stuff; and gain a lot more experience by playing in professional events like these.”

While Ha’s potential and talents may have been known to her coaches and a select number of keen golf insiders, her recent performance in London, Ont. has many more observers of the game singings her praises – including one of the LPGA’s biggest stars.

After seeing Ha compete up close and personal, Lexi Thompson believes the young Canadian has what it takes to make it on the LPGA tour one day.

“She’s got a great personality and you can tell she has a really good attitude on the golf course which is important out here,” said Thompson, who was grouped with Ha in the final round of the CP Women’s Open.

“She hits it pretty far and she putts it well too,” added the American superstar about Ha. “She’s going to keep on improving with hard work I’m sure; and I think she’s going to be a great player someday.”

NANJING, China – The Canadian duo of Maddie Szeryk and Tony Gil combined for a 2-over 74 in Monday’s alternate shot round at the Zhongshan International Golf Club to remain tied for 17^th at the Youth Olympic Games.

Szeryk, an 18-year-old dual-citizen of Canada and the U.S., and Gil, a 16-year-old Vaughan, Ont. native, struggled to move up the leaderboard with the difficulty of foursomes (also known as alternate shot) format. The pair found trouble early, carding a double-bogey on the par-5 2^nd hole. They had a tough time climbing back after that, managing just one birdie that came on the par-5 11^th.

This was the first official alternate shot event that Gil and Szeryk have participated in. Team Coach, Robert Ratcliffe, remains optimistic for the team to recover in tomorrow’s combined score event and to continue learning.

“I’m helping them focus on learning from the experience no matter what the result,” said Ratcliffe, also Team Canada’s Development Squad Lead Coach. “Tomorrow’s rounds are aggregate, so there will be a lot of moving on the leaderboard and we are looking forward to it.”

Having already played better-ball (69) and alternate shot (74), the team sits at 1-under par overall and are looking ahead to the final round of combined score.

The lead is currently held by Denmark’s Pinnerup Axe Pultz and Emily Kristine Pedersen, who carded matching 65s to sit at 14-under par.

Szeryk and Gil are set to tee-off in the early time slot once more, this time off the 10^th tee. They are scheduled to start at 8:30 am (CST).

Click here for scoring.

PORTLAND, Ore. – The final putt dropped at the inaugural WinCo Foods Portland Open presented by Kraft and the first 25 of 50 PGA Tour cards available via the Web.com Tour were handed out.

Among the first group of 2014 graduates are Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C. and Roger Sloan of Merritt, B.C., who finished fourth and 24th respectively.

Carlos Ortiz, who has held the top spot since mid-April, won the Regular Season finale Sunday to finish No. 1. His third win earns him fully-exempt status on the PGA Tour in 2014-2015 and enter the finals as No. 1 on the money list.

An additional 25 cards will be on-the-line at the four-event series, which begin Thursday with the Hotel Fitness Championship in Fort Wayne, Ind. These 25 cards will be based on money earned in the Finals.

The 50 card earners will join the PGA Tour for the 2014-15 season, which begins in October.

For details on how the Web.com Finals work, click here.

Here is a full list of the 75 players headed to the Web.com Finals.

NORTH PLAINS, Ore. – Carlos Ortiz won the Portland Open on Sunday for his third Web.com Tour victory of the season, making him fully exempt for the 2014-15 PGA Tour season that starts in October.

The 23-year-old Mexican player closed with an even-par 71 for a one-stroke victory in the regular-season finale. He earned $144,000 to push his tour-leading total to $515,403, with the top 25 on the money list getting PGA Tour cards.

“I didn’t envision any of this,” said Ortiz, also the winner in Panama in March and Mexico in April. “To be honest, I came out this year without any expectations. I realized early that if I was able to play good I would be able to win on this tour.”

Ortiz finished at 14-under 270 on Pumpkin Ridge’s Witch Hollow course. The former North Texas player opened with rounds of 66, 63 and 70 to take a two-stroke lead over Canada’s Adam Hadwin into the final day. In the final round, Ortiz birdied three of the first five holes, dropped three strokes in a five-hole stretch and closed with seven straight pars.

“I got a little bit lost in the middle of the season and started thinking too much,” Ortiz said. “There were a lot of expectations and a lot of distractions. You’re in the eye of everybody all the time. Everything I’m doing is new for me. I’ve never been here before and there is a great deal to learn. I think I managed it much better this time.”

Hadwin and Jason Gore tied for second to each earn $70,400. Gore finished with a 66, and Hadwin had a 70. Hadwin jumped from 10th to fourth on the money list with $293,667, and Gore moved from 17th to ninth with $253,046.

Kyle Reifers jumped from 27th to 25th to take the final card, edging Denmark’s Sebastian Cappelen by $1,463. Reifers followed a third-round 64 with a 74 to tie for 21st at 7 under, and Cappelen missed the cut with rounds of 68 and 78.

The four-event Web.com Tour Finals starts next week in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Nos. 26-75 on the money list and Nos. 126-200 in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup standings will play for another 25 cards based on their earnings in the series.

The 25 players who earned cards Sunday will compete against each other for PGA Tour priority, with regular-season earnings counting in their totals, and the final leader getting a spot in The Players Championship. Ortiz enters the series with a $194,965 lead over second-place Andrew Putnam.